WASHINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) - The Federal Communications Commission on Friday proposed to ban the import of Chinese equipment from a group of manufacturers after previously barring approvals of new models in 2022, the latest move by Washington to crack down on Chinese-made electronic gear.
The FCC had in 2021 added telecommunications and video surveillance equipment made by Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua to its so-called "Covered List" of companies posing U.S. national security risks.
In November 2022, the U.S. telecoms regulator decided not to authorize the import or sale of new models from those Chinese companies.
The FCC said on Friday it was seeking comment on whether to bar the continued import of equipment from the listed Chinese firms approved for sale in the U.S. before the 2022 order.
The agency said it had tentatively concluded that "prohibiting the continued importation and marketing of previously authorized equipment added at that time is necessary to protect national security by mitigating risks to the U.S. communications sector."
The Chinese Embassy in Washington and Hikvision did not immediately comment.
The FCC said the proposal would allow Americans to continue to use already-purchased communications equipment. The regulator said it could bar the importation as soon as an order was finalized "to avoid a rush to import new devices".
The FCC has taken a number of actions targeting Chinese tech, including banning imports of all new models of Chinese drones in December.
Last week, it banned the import of new models of Chinese-made consumer routers, the boxes that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet.
In October, the FCC voted 3-0 to block new approvals for devices with parts from companies on its Covered List and let the agency bar previously approved equipment in some instances.
Hikvision filed a lawsuit in December challenging the FCC decision in October, saying it exceeded its authority and "seeks to retroactively curtain lawful authorizations without a sufficient legal or evidentiary basis".
In February 2025, a U.S. appeals court rejected a bid by Hikvision to lift the 2022 FCC ban on approvals of its new video surveillance and telecommunications equipment.
The FCC had previously barred some Chinese companies from providing telecommunications services in the U.S. on national security concerns, and it has recently moved to withdraw recognition from test labs owned or controlled by the Chinese government.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Arun Koyyur)
